I finally got paid in May for a bunch of work done in December, less a $8.25 fee. The payment was months late, and they kept promising to pay, and finally did. I'm so glad people kept posting on this thread because it was very educational, assuaged me, and helped me get to the right people to get paid. A sincere "thank you" to all of the posters.
Please do not reveal client names in your posts. You are welcome to repost later with corrections.